Pants-leg stretcher



Oct. 11, 1932. M. F. MITAR PANTS LEG SERETCHER Filed May 31. 1930 INVENTOR.

W./@- %M/FZ ATTORNEY :1 bodying the; present invention and showing 35 .beingdndioatedin dash;and-dot lines.

Patented Oct. 11, 1932 {STATES 7 .MAliIQN-t -aMW E" OF ram -PE p a iq fi i M 3 f The --invention relates to la pants leg Jstretcher by'whichcreases are produced and um'a-inta-ine'd, 1

.An object of the invention is v to ,provide man improved andsimplified-stretoher of the -.ty.pe described. and wherein adjustment for its. best operative zfittingw to pants legs ,of -varioussizes. is arranged-to be eflected with particular readiness. i Anotheraohject is to provide a stretcher of --the-. class.describedwhich is formed of flat and mutually. pivoted 1 elements in such man- ,ner as to permit, a folding of the-stretcher Z-into a compact and relatively flat package.

" -A- further objectgottheinvention is to bring about aunew combination and cor- :rel-ati-on of parts in adevice ,of the class described whereby marked economies in manuwfacturegvvill beiefliectediand the;efficiency of l theidevicerwill be.- enhanced.

Yet another obj ec-t is to'provide a: stretcher ,=inwhich the degree of; stretching is, least at the cuff endotapants leg.

"The invention possess'esfl other objects and 2 .:features:otadvantage, some of which, with the foregoing willbe set forth; or be apparent yinnthe following description ofa preferred @form ofuthe invention which-is illustratedin the accompany ng drawing in which:

Figure 1 1s an elevation 01": a stretcher ernthe stretcher as. engaged. ina pants legin partially*operativerelation thereto, a fully operative disposal it the stretcher I elements a Figure 2 is;an enlarged; perspective View ..;of aportionof the stretcher structure.

stretchen: in: collapse d; condition.

{Figure 4: is ;aner 1;la rged fragmentarysec- 1 1 at n Figu e Essentially, thepresent device comprises a pair of flat and laterallyspaced bars 5 and 6-. arnanged for forcible engagement-within :the opposite creases of a pants leg or the like 1 to produoeand or maintain said creases, and "means coactive between said barsto mutually ispread them within .th'epants leg toxtheir operative positionsmr'The bars 5wand 6 are ofsuitablelengthand strengtln; and their figure 3;; is an.-. e1eva tion showing the Artur I i 1 qa steaaset seaam EWER 1930. Serial No-457 7s2,

cr asezense in eds siea ibe hape as e siredonrequired in the present iiistanc said ban edges are;straight: I The elements of. means which controls the. relative bar disre /a eomnri n a tm member?- 1W bah... of links 8. r.a :er1i i 9d' 1 ai elements being, formed otrigid strap lnletal. or N other suitable naterial and being. pivotal 1y 1 connected to each other andfthe hars jfiiand Ginsuch manner asto providean ope tive G combin tio as ih re nat r de fqit b i i 11 strut member 7 i s qpivotall'y: securedto one.end of; the bar. 6, and lies opposite a face .i f; e ib nwher y L t b J$ i g ;from it np a e pos ti n i eaten i er d at a. b r 5 e olde rpesit e j ie ia a i i the. barGg-the aforesaidgpositionsot the strut 3 are disclosed in Figures 1 and are'spectiyely. ;-A ratchet rack, 123s provided along one edge f t e; r rmemb rl n esem i hem with of a p 3'a atend aitte isre t ly frornfthe bar 5 whereby to 1 adjustably space .thebar by asset the st u Theb .pl i i adjacent said strut are arranged to engage *the cuff ends of a pants, leg with thestrutJ ly ng. o w r y: {of t an a o the-69. 9 cuff; as is'indicated in Figure 1. --Itisi1oted [th t sratch t teeth m seneral ramy (a om th pivot a d. o t estr t twhers y to engage the pawl-13 to hold the bar 5 against movement towa-rdthejbar 6. As particularly shown, the pawl 13 is, provided as part of an integralportionli-of the bani said bar portionghaving an outer part l5-paralleljy offset'fromthebar and an inner.connecting.partwa transve 0t eb r a d provid ng the ,pawl 11+ 13.; Preferably theratchet is provided at the inner edge of the, strut Tandthe part lfi extends" outwardly: from the pawl to cooperate with the opposite barportion todefine as guideway' f t strutfr mrvhi t e. str may, be swung for disengagement from r the pawl for collapsing or folding the stretcher.

'llhelinks '8, it will now be noted, are-pivnotedat oneend thereofto the bars 5and 6"- adjacent the pawl l3.andthe pivot point of the strut 'Zrespectively, and the otherends of the links 8.are' pivotallyfixed together by means of a pivot pin16; -When thegpawl l3lengages the rack 12, the links 8 are ar--' m i ranged to be angularly related and their common pivot point at the pin 16 is arranged to then lie inwardly of the strut member 7.

The links 9 are mounted and related to each other and the bars 5 and 6 as are the links 8, except that their pivotal connection with the bars 5 and 6 is mediate of said bars. These links are toggle members and are each preferably provided with a plurality of pinreceiving perforations 17 attheir connected ends whereby their effective lengths may be adjustably varied. As particularly brought out in Figure 4, a screw 18 pivotally engaged through a perforation 17 of. one'bar 9 is threadedly engaged in a perforation 17 f of "the other bar, said sorew'comprising the pivot pin for the links 9. The inner end of the rod 11'is provided with a series of perforations 19 for the selective reception of the engage pivot pin 18. As particularly shown, the rod 11 engages the pivot screw 18 between the links 9, and the screw is provided with a shoulder .21 for limiting its degree of engagement in the link 9 which it threadedly s whereby to providefor the free pivoting of the other bar 9 and the rod 11 on the screw pin 18. The rod 11 is arranged to extend longitudinally of and between the bars 5 and 6 and outwardly beyond the pants cuff whereby it may be engaged for pulling it to increase the angle between the links 9 and so spread said bars, the action being ob-' viously that of a toggle oint. A handle in the form of a hook 22 is provided onthe extending rod end for-facilitating an operative manipulation of the rod.

Means are provided for securing the rod 11 a pulled-out relation whereby to maintain the described toggle spread. As particularly shown, the outer end portion of the rod 11 is formed with aninety degree twist 28,

beyond which that rod edge which lies near est and opposite the strut member 7 is provided with a ratchet rack 24 having its teeth directed inwardly and arranged to receive the outer edge portion of the strut 7. To facilitate, this cooperative engagement of the'strut 7 and rack 24, the former is preferably formed at its outeredge, and mediately thereof, to

provide a transversely oblique lip 25 which is operative as a pawl with respect to the rack.

" A major function of the links 8, it will now be noted, is their cooperation with the toggle links 9 to prevent any relative longitudinal shifting of the bars 5 and 6. These links are further utilized for maintaining the rod 11 the plane'of the creaser bars, and to that end the p vot pin 16 which connects them is slidably engaged through a longitudinal slot 26 provided in the rod 11, said rod lying between thelinks 8 at the pin. The length and disposition of the slot 26 is suchthat neither slot end engages the pin 16 as the rod 11 is shifted to operate thetoggle joint at the links 9, it being noted that the bar 7 and links 8 vice, the stretcher is first placed in a cooperate to substantially define a triangle atthe cuff engaging end of the stretcher struc-- ture.

The specific link arrangement with respect to the bars 5 and 6 and the rod 11 is seen to be such as to permit a collapsing ofthe present stretcher to have the said bars and rod in coplanar and laterally-abutting relation, the stretcher being shown in such collapsed condition in Figure 3.. e

To operably install the now-described depants leg in more or less collapsed condition and with the cuff-engaging portions of the bars 5 and 6 slightly protruding to permit an operative disposal of the strut 7. With the strut 7 in position for engagement of the pawl 13 with teeth of the strut rack, the bar ends at the cuff are pulled apart by hand whereby to slightly stretch the cuff andoperably enthe strut for maintaining the cuff stretched, this being the condition shown in full lines in Figure 1. The rod 11 is now pulled to cause an angularspreading'of'the bars 5 and 6 through the toggle action of the;

to adjustably secure the rod in its pulled-out-..h

and operative position. The final operative disposal of the structure partsis disclosed in dash-and-dot lines in Figure 1. I

A peculiar and novel feature of the present device is seen to lie in the angular spreadingof the creaserbars 5 and 6 as they move to position whereby the degree of stretching progressively increases away from thepants cuff. This condition is particularly desirable, as the major degree of stretching is ad jacent the knee of the pants where it is most needed. Relatively little stretching is possible at a'pants cufi, in any event, and the present device operates on a pants leg where and as needed. i

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

' the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention" appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it' understood that the device shown is merely illus trative, and that such changes may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the appended claims. 7 Having thus described my invention,

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following:

1. A pants-leg stretcher of the character described comprising a pair 'of spaced flat stretcher bars for coplanar disposal within a pants-leg for engagement within the creases thereof, a strut pivotally connected to the end of one bar, ratchet teeth formed along one edge of the other end ofthe strut, a pawl extending transversely from the end of the other bar adjacent said ratchet teeth for engagement therewith whereby the bars may be adjustably spaced through the medium of said strut and pawl, angularly related links pivoted to said bar ends and toeach other, angularly related toggle links pivoted to said bars at corresponding points thereof and spaced from said bar ends, a pivot pin conend of one bar, ratchet teeth formed along one edge of the other end of the strut, a pawl extending transversely from the end of the other bar adjacent said ratchet teeth for engagement therewith whereby the bars may be adjustably spaced through the medium of said strut and pawl, angularly related links pivoted'to said bar ends and to each other,

angularly related toggle links pivoted to said bars at corresponding points thereof and spaced from said bar ends, a pivot pin connecting said toggle links, a pull rod extending from said pivot pin in the plane of said bars for displacing said pin to efi'ect angular adjustment of said bars to an operative engagement with the pants-leg, and means c0- active between said pull rod and said strut to releasably secure the rod for retaining the toggle links in fully operative position, said means comprising ratchet teeth formed along one edge of said rod and engageable with said strut.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my sgnature.

MARION F. MITAR. 

